Typical settings: Vietnam War combat scenes, Cold War–era military stories, late 20th-century U.S. service portrayals, and historically grounded war films.
This non-firing replica rifle is modeled after the U.S. M16, a lightweight service rifle adopted by the United States military during the early Vietnam War. Developed in the 1950s by Eugene Stoner, the design originated as the AR-15 before being adopted and refined by the U.S. Army as the M16 family of rifles.
Historically, early M16 rifles were introduced into service in the early 1960s, with subsequent refinements leading to the M16A1 configuration later in the Vietnam War. Chambered in 5.56×45mm, the platform represented a major shift away from traditional wood-stocked battle rifles, emphasizing reduced weight, higher magazine capacity, and modern materials. The M16 and M16A1 became defining U.S. service rifles of the period and laid the foundation for later generations of American military small arms.
Cinematically, the M16 has become inseparable from Vietnam War storytelling. Film and television frequently depict both early M16 and later M16A1 variants as visual shorthand for U.S. forces in Southeast Asia, using the rifle’s distinctive silhouette—straight-line stock, carrying handle, and detachable magazine—to signal the transition into modern warfare. Its lineage as the military predecessor to the civilian AR-15–style rifle further cements its cultural and historical significance.
Manufactured in Spain by Denix, a respected replica maker founded in 1967, this non-firing replica is constructed of metal and plastic and features a functional trigger with a removable magazine. It is intended for film, television, theater, reenactment, and display use only, without live-fire capability.
Commonly depicted with:
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Vietnam War U.S. infantry soldiers
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Cold War–era American troops
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Late 20th-century military units
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Historically grounded war film protagonists
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Transitional service members between WWII/Korea and modern conflicts
